Tunisian Internet "pirate" named State Secretary

Lydia Leavitt, 20th January 2011

After ousting Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has adopted a new politician: a well known pirate. OK, so this pirate named Slim Amamou is not a vagabond in the traditional Captain Sparrow sense, but rather an Internet pirate who served time.

An active blogger and member of Tunisia's Pirate Party, Amamou is thought to have spearheaded Tunisia's online revolt which ran in parallel to a bloody coup and President Ben Ali's depature.

During the revolt, Amamou and other members of the Pirate Party were arrested by the (now former) president until he eventually caved and fled the country.

Amamou has been appointed State Secretary for Sports and Youth, a position born out of his good reputation in the online community.

The online effort played an important role in the revolt, where information was spread across national lines and Facebook and Twitter were used to rally the people.

Amamous described himself on Twitter as a person "against censorship, against the intellectual property rights, for net neutrality."

Since the coup, Tunisia has been in a state of political instability.

That said, who knows how Amamou's position will change in the coming months as Tunisia continues to adapt to its new political system.